Find Me
by LunarLove1120
Summary: Upon finding a stray body in the woods, a new layer of Naraku's evil plans come to light. Inuyasha is faced with a choice that will forever affect his adventures onward, if he keeps her he endangers himself. If he casts her aside, the human heart within him breaks.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone, Luna here. Hope you enjoy the first chapter of this fanfic, it's been brewing in my mind for a while. If you do like the story, please comment. Thank you very much!**

"Inuyasha, I thought you knew where we were going." Kagome yawned in his ear, falling asleep on his back. "Shouldn't we have found Sango and Miroku by now?"

"Of course I know where the hell I'm going, stupid." Truth was he had taken a detour to the village, something ominous was heavy in the woods. Something didn't feel right, and so he continued on deeper in the forest.

"Hey…" Suddenly Kagome lifted her head up from his shoulder, "I think… I think there's a jewel shard near us."

That would explain the feeling spreading through the woods, the one of dread that had worked it's way into the air. "Where? Which way?"

She pointed and he followed, suddenly both of them looking sharply into the darkness. "We're getting close." She whispered in his ear to slow down and he obliged, his entire body ready to jump whichever way she directed.

They came to a clearing where something white lay ahead of them, the power of a jewel shard flooding the scene. They took a few steps closer and realized that there was a girl beneath a white sheet. Kagome hopped off of Inuyasha's back. They stood quietly, observing from afar.

She was laying on her side covered by only the sheet. Her hair fell around her face, falling down her shoulders in tangled waves. Long, pointed ears poked out from the waves. Her eyes stayed open, unblinking and unmoving, focused forward. She very much resembled a broken toy, thrown out with the rest of the garbage.

Inuyasha walked towards her cautiously, the jewel shard on her forehead glowed ominously and pulsed with light. "Is she… Is she dead?" Asked Kagome, her voice barely a whisper. She didn't dare move from her spot, something unsettled her about the abandoned body.

"She's not, I can smell the life on her." He crouched next to her, pulling the sheet up to cover more of her naked body. He was careful not to touch her skin as it glowed in the moonlight. "But it's weak, she's not gonna last long."

"What's wrong with her?" Kagome took a tentative step towards the two. "She looks like she's frozen."

It felt wrong to look at her, it felt as if they were trespassing on a private moment of her passing. They had seen plenty of people die, but no one that seemed so lovely yet sad in doing so.

"We should close her eyes…" Mumbled Kagome as she sat on her knees next to Inuyasha, who was strangely quiet. Death had never seemed quite as intimate as it did then. Typically, the demons he slayed were grotesque, screaming, and bloody. It was easy to detach oneself from slaughtering them, especially since it was typically in self-defense. But now, suddenly, this girl had done nothing to them.

She was not bleeding, she was not screaming. The silence around her was worse.

"First, the jewel shard." Inuyasha's voice was gruff, breaking the silence. Kagome wanted to protest, but his fingers were already poised at the shimmering jewel. His fingertips gripped at the protruding edges, his nails digging gently into her skin.

As soon as he came in contact with her skin her pupils dilated, suddenly the black of her eye focused and grew with consciousness. Her eyelashes fluttered, casting long thorny shadows on her cheeks. Inuyasha pulled his hand back as if burned, pusing Kagome behind him instinctively.

"She's awake!"

"Stay behind me, Kagome."

The sheet stirred as her muscles began to move, her movements slow and awkward as if learning how to move again. Her eyebrows furrowed together, as if every bend of her bones was painful effort.

Inuyasha and Kagome didn't dare move as she propped herself up on her palms, her elbows shivering under the new weight. Her eyes focused on her splayed fingers, curious about them. Her gaze lifted slowly from her hands to Inuyasha, Kagome's eyes shutting in fear of what was to come. Inuyasha's golden eyes met her green ones and time froze for a moment, the air suddenly too small and the wind too loud.

The girl parted her lips, "Who am I?"

"How the hell should I know!?" Inuyasha tossed Kagome further behind him and stood, hand on the hilt of Tetsuaiga. "If you come any closer, I'll—"

She struggled suddenly, shifting her weight to her legs. The sheet fell to the ground as she stood, her toes pointed together. Her legs were thin and pale, her glowing skin stretched up from her calves to her stomach and up her neck, every part of her shone in the moon as if she were a jewel herself. Again, her lips opened, "Who am I?"

Inuyasha's nose twitched suddenly, and he reacted quickly with unsheathing Tetsuaiga. "Kagome, get away. She's a demon, I can smell it on her."

"Inuyasha, I don't think she wants to hurt us!" She tugged on his arm, begging for him to be patient. "She's confused."

"I don't care what she is, she's got a shard of the jewel and has to go!"

The girl took a shaky step forward, reaching out a limp arm. Her eyelids blinked heavily, everything about her actions was slow and thoughtful. She touched the blade gingerly, her fingers dragging along its edge until the blade gently tugged the skin of her fingertips open.

"Oh…" She pulled her hand back and stared at the red leaking down her arm. Her eyes fluttered back to Inuyasha. "My name is Isa." Her eyes then promptly rolled back into her head and she dropped to the ground, her legs finally crumbling beneath her weight. For a moment, neither Inuyasha nor Kagome moved a muscle.

"What the hell just happened?" Inuyasha sheathed Tetsuaiga, suddenly it felt even more wrong to steal her shard.

"I don't know…" Kagome, stuck in a trance, quickly shook her head and knelt back down next to the girl's body. "She said her name was Isa, but I think she only just found that out herself…" She made quick work of covering her body back with the sheet, her skin cool and slick with sweat. Her breath quivered, her chest rising and falling rapidly. "She's definitely still alive."

"Feh, what kind of demon is this? Powerless."

"Get my backpack, Inuyasha."

"What, am I your maid now?" He grumbled but grabbed the backpack left behind, tossing it next to Kagome. "What're you gonna do?" His ears twitched curiously, but he turned away indifferently.

Kagome pulled out clothes, emergency clothes for when her own were dirtied. "I'm glad I pack for emergencies." She glanced over her shoulder, "Don't you dare think about peaking."

"Heh, wouldn't dream of it." He turned his back to the duo and stared at the stars, curious about the girl. "We're not keeping her, ok? She's not a pet."

"We're helping her. We can't leave her here or else who knows what'll happen? What if someone worse finds her?" Kagome's eyes fell downcast thinking about the girl's fate if they were not the first to happen upon the prostrate body. "Besides, someone has to care for her hand."

"She's your responsibility, then. I ain't got nothing to do with it." He crossed his arms, not willing to argue any further. He had already made up his mind to take her back with them, but he couldn't let on that he would consider that option on his own. He had a reputation to uphold, and adopting stray people seemed too often a commonality of his life.

"Fine. My responsibility."

"Done yet?"

"Done." Inuyasha turned around and was pleased to see the girl looked far more alive when clothed. Kagome had put on a pair of jean shorts and a long sleeved grey shirt on the girl, and that was all it took to make her look as if she was simply sleeping. Kagome knelt next to her and pulled Isa's arm over her shoulders, standing up slowly.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Inuyasha quickly snatched Isa from Kagome and tossed her on his back. "If I let you bring her home it'll take forever. Let's go."

"What happened to her being _my_ responsibility?" Kagome chided sweetly, slinging her backpack back on her shoulder and jogging to catch up.

"If she was your responsibility she'd die before we got her back." His voice was low and cautioned Kagome not to dig any deeper, which she did not. She smiled though, happy to see the human side of Inuyasha once more.

The human Inuyasha showed himself in the way he gently tugged Isa's arms around his neck. He gripped her legs firmly, securing her to the safety of his back. He couldn't leave anyone behind, and for that he was surrounded by people who loved him fiercely.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello everyone, Luna here! Hope you're enjoying the story. I know it's a slow start but please hang on with me, some exciting things will be coming up. This is a long chapter, but it's setting up the way the rest of the story will play out.**

 **If you enjoy, please review! It means a lot to me.**

By the time Isa awoke, the night had passed and the sun was high in the sky above. Kagome and Sango had kept a watchful eye on her all night, pressing cool cloths to her fevered head and stroking her hair when she whimpered in her sleep.

The girl had come as a surprise to everyone, and when Inuyasha dropped her (quite literally off his back) in Kaede's village nobody knew exactly what to do with her. First thing was first, the two women sent Miroku and Inuyasha far away. Miroku would only try to cop a feel, much to his protest, and Inuyasha would offer no help except agitated fidgeting.

The night was long, and Sango often worried out-loud about the fact Isa may not break through the fever. Even if she was a demon, as Inuyasha claimed, her body was weak and made up of only skin and bones. She had been left for a very long time and was struggling to sweat her fever out.

When she finally did wake, it was to Kagome's eager brown eyes. "You're awake!" Her head was propped up on a pillow and her body covered in a blanket, she felt as if she were a child next to her mother.

"Where am I?"

"Oh, you're in a village. You're safe. We found you last night in the woods and brought you back here to see if we could help you." She was smiling eagerly at the girl, happy to see that her eyes didn't look nearly as dull as they had the night before.

"I'm safe." She said it out-loud as if to confirm it within herself. She rolled to her side and put weight on her arm, groaning as she lifted herself up to a sitting position.

"Don't push yourself too quickly, you're very ill."

The blanket fell away and she stared at her clothed body, obviously perplexed with the style and clothe. "This is… This is new." She rubbed her hands up and down the soft material of the shirt, seemingly enjoying the sensation.

Kagome smiled and took a deep breath before venturing a little further, "Do you remember anything about last night?"

Isa shook her head from side to side, her brown hair falling in glossy waves down her shoulders.

"You don't remember anything, huh?" Again, another fierce shake of her head in response. Her hair whipped into her eyes. "What do you know?"

Isa stopped for a moment, chewing on the inside of her lip. "My name. My name is Isa, I know that."

"It's nice to meet you, Isa. My name is Kagome."

"Ka-go-me. I like that." She thought for a moment before her eyebrows furrowed together, "But I am otherwise empty. There's nothing inside of me." She cast her gaze downward, ashamed. "But, I do feel as if there's something that should be there. As if I were full of memories once."

Kagome nodded understandingly, "Just give it time, ok?" She sent Isa a reassuring smile, to which Isa responded to sheepishly. "If you remember anything, just tell us."

"Us?" Her head cocked to the side.

"Oh, yes. There are more people than just me. Would you like some fresh air, perhaps you can say hello?" Isa shrunk at the prospect, suddenly she felt like pulling the covers back to her chin and feigning sleep. Kagome had been kind, but suddenly the only world she knew was the hut she awoke in. The thought of a world existing beyond the coziness of the four walls surrounding her made her feel feeble.

"You can do it." Kagome took her hand and helped her heave herself up. "How does it feel to stand?"

"Good. It feels good." Leaning heavily on Kagome's side, the two hobbled their way out of the door and into the sun soaked morning. The warmth filled Isa with determination. _I like warm things_.

They took a few uneasy steps forward until Sango met them, running up to the strange duo. "You're awake! It's so good to see you up."

Isa cowered against Kagome, suddenly unsure. "Sango, this is Isa."

"Nice to meet you, we were so worried about you last night." Relief washed over Sango's face, her features relaxed but tired. _Why was she worried about me?_ "It's wonderful to see you on your feet."

"It's nice to meet you." Isa's formalities stumbled out of her mouth, echoing from a memory of social manners deep within her subconscious.

Isa's eyes caught on Sango's hair, tied up in a ponytail to keep it away from her eyes. Something inside her snapped, suddenly, as if a memory had just come loose from the thread within her mind. "I like to tie my hair up too. I remember."

Sango tilted her head curiously, Kagome quick to fill in the gaps. "Isa is having trouble with her memory…" Sango's eyes darkened, she had experienced her brother's memory loss as if it were her own.

"Well," she forced a smile on her mouth, though her eyes remained strained. "It's good to see you've remembered something. Here, take this." Sango quickly undid her ponytail and gave Isa the tie she had been using. "It's a gift."

Isa's fingers toyed with the material for a moment, as if her fingers hadn't remembered how to use it. But, quickly her long fingers brushed back her hair deftly. Her digits worked nimbly to bunch her hair into a messy bun, the actions swift and natural. "I remember this." She smiled, triumphantly. This was how she liked her hair. Messy and out of the way.

Sango and Kagome smiled at her, and Isa took her weight off of Kagome. "You're doing great." It felt wonderful to have two people cheering for her, strangers as they may be.

Suddenly, as if the tenderness of her memories were being pulled away, a large crash boomed through the village. "Oh brother…" muttered Kagome, obviously perplexed.

A small, orange ball of fur ran towards them at lightening speed, wailing loudly. "Kagome! He's trying to kill me!" The brightly colored puff ball bounced it's way up to Kagome's shoulders, where it quivered in fear. Curiously, the ball of fluff seemed to be a small fox demon.

"Inuyasha won't kill you, I'm here to protect you." Kagome sounded sweet, but in her eyes she seemed irritated.

As if on cue, a red flash of cloth shocked Isa backwards. She stumbled on her new legs and crashed onto her bottom. Her legs stuck out awkwardly beneath her. She gazed up at the flash of red.

"Give him over, Kagome. He's got another thing coming." The man she assumed to be Inuyasha was boiling with rage, his fist clenched.

"That's Inuyasha." Isa pointed up, happy to be able to identify another new thing in her ever-growing world.

He glared down at her, "Oh, she's up." He was the opposite of the two women, he didn't seem happy to see her or to hear that she was awake. "What're you doing on the ground, huh? What kind of demon are you?"

"Demon?" she asked, curiously.

"Inuyasha, don't say things like that. She doesn't remember! She doesn't know who she is!" Kagome fumed with rage and suddenly Isa felt scared.

"I'm not a demon."

He glared down at her again, "You are. I smell it on you. What kind of demon are you, anyways?" He turned up his nose at her, her legs shivered as she tried to rise. "A shit one, probably."

"I'm not a demon." Her mind whirred, suddenly there were too many people and too many things to focus on. Her brain strained with effort as suddenly something important seemed to be on the tip of her tongue. She suddenly felt as if she were drowning, the air in her lungs turning to water as she panicked.

"What's wrong?" Sango wrapped an arm around her, worried. "Inuyasha, why the hell would you talk to her that way? She's not well!"

"How else is she gonna remember?" Her turned away, obviously set in his opinion that his way was the best way. "Somebody has to treat her like an adult. She's not a child, you know."

It was true, she had the body of a woman. She was obviously older than Kagome, her body had fleshed out and she had definitely left her days of girlhood behind.

"I'm not a demon." Isa repeated, panting on her words.

"Look what you've done, Inuyasha." Argued Kagome. "You've upset her."

"I'm not a demon." Suddenly her eyes popped open. "I'm a half demon."


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry for the late update! :D It was holidays and I had zero time to write, but I'm back. Enjoy the update 3**

"I don't trust her." Inuyasha leaned against the wall of Kaede's hut, crossing his arms sternly.

"You don't think she's a half demon?" Kagome stirred the vegetable mixture in the earthenware pot. The two of them were on dinner duty for the group, which meant Kagome cooked and Inuyasha watched.

"I do, I do think she's half… I can smell it on her now, I don't know how I missed it before." He turned his head, "But I don't believe she has no memory. I don't trust her, Kagome."

"Why? It's not the most extraordinary thing we've seen, what makes it so hard to believe?"

"The jewel shard."

"Is that all you can focus on?" 

"Shut up." His lip curled, "I don't trust her near you, Kagome."

She sent him a warning glare, "I can take care of myself."

"Like hell."

She chose to ignore his muttered comment, " _If_ she's here to hurt us, why hasn't she? She's had all day." He didn't respond, she sighed. "I understand you're nervous, Inuyasha. We know nothing about her… But if we were cautious of everyone with ties to it we wouldn't have our friends, would we?"

"Keh. Whatever."

"Besides, she's spent the majority of the day away from us. Seems like she doesn't want to be near us anyways." Kagome filled a bowl with the steaming stew. "She's been in the forest all day, why don't you go talk to her yourself? And bring her this, while you're at it. Her fever only just broke, she has to stay healthy."

She smiled and extended the bowl towards him. _Damn Kagome, too trusting. As usual._ Even with those thoughts threatening to become words, he snatched the bowl from her.

He stalked off towards the woods, named aptly after him. He could smell her, her scent was similar to honey and earth. She hadn't strayed far, but remained out of sight all day after her revelation. She had sprinted into the woods, leaving the rest of them staring at one another stupidly. They had decided to let her run, to give her time, and as long as she stayed in claw's reach Inuyasha could concede to part with the jewel shard for a day.

He found her in the clearing next to his tree, the one where he had been pinned to for fifty years before Kagome released him. She was panting, on the floor, the sharp smell of sweat stinging his nose. He put the bowl on the ground, standing his ground. "Kagome wants you to eat."

"No." She stood and flipped her head away from him, her cheeks pink and her breath coming in hard gasps. "No eating."

"Look, I don't give a shit if you live or die." _But Kagome made this for you._ "But I was told to make you eat, so I'll be damned if I leave without doing it."

She sent him a glare, the longer she remained awake the more willful she became. It was as if a personality was slowly filling her body, her eyes less and less empty. "I don't want it."

"You're going to eat it. Deal with it." His voice came out as a growl, he was moments away from wrenching her jaw open and pouring the entire bowl down her throat. "Besides, you can't figure anything out about yourself unless you get stronger."

Her voice hitched, "I know that." She didn't calm her piercing glare, but she stalked towards the bowl, grabbing it and returning to her previous position stubbornly. She stared down into the broth as if it held answers, looking between the boiled roots to see if her past lay in the pheasant stock.

He turned to leave, but she interrupted him. "What am I?"

"Why the fuck would I know?" His voice was grating, she winced as if his words rubbed against her skin. He turned back to look at her. "You really know nothing?"

"I wish I did. I'm not even sure of my name." The sun was setting and the forest was growing dark, the moon rising to take the place of its partner. "I've spent hours trying to see if I have any power at all, but I can't do anything. I feel as if I'm empty, as if I should be dead." She paused, taking a small sip of the soup. "Maybe I am dead."

Inuyasha's ears twitched, his head cocking to the side. "I don't smell it on you."

"My hands smell of earth, I can't get rid of the scent. I don't smell like blood and flesh, I smell like dirt and honey." She grimaced, "And this goddamned shard pulses in my head, I won't be able to remember a thing if I continue like this."

"I'll take the jewel off you, no charge." His voice was laced with sarcasm, but he took a step towards her nonetheless.

"It's yours. I don't want it."

Perhaps it was her lack of desire for the jewel that kept it pure, the demonic aura around her was only faint and not threatening.

"Perfect."

"But- before you take it, I want you to do me a favor." She took a step back, keeping the distance between them the same. "I want you to take me to where you found me. Then I'll give it to you."

"Done."

Her ears pricked at his answer, surprised. "Really?"

"Yeah. We'll go tomorrow."

"O-Ok." She took a moment to steady herself, to keep her face blank. "Tomorrow morning."

He waited for her, turning halfway as if to invite her to walk back with him. She ran towards him, stumbling, she was like a deer learning to walk on its gangly legs. Inuyasha rolled his eyes, the girl was hopeless. When she relinquished her jewel shard she would be powerless, even more-so than she already appeared to be. _At least she won't be a target anymore._

 **Review if you enjoyed! Fun things are coming! 3**


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